Author Richard Kaczynski, Ph.D., has been a student of the western hermetic tradition since 1978, and has lectured internationally on the subject since 1990. Based on twenty years of research, his critically acclaimed biography, Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley, presents the facts of Aleister Crowley’s life in a new, revised and expanded edition, including never-before published details. The author’s expertise with the subject matter allows him to present Crowley’s story in a way that is unmatched by any other of his biographers. And what a tale it is, proving the old adage that truth is stranger than fiction.
Clearly an expert on all things Crowley, we asked Dr. Kaczynski how he got his start in writing, what he’s reading, and life as an author. For more on Richard Kaczynski and his writing, please visit his website at http://www.richard-kaczynski.com.
What made you decide to write this book?
I’ve read many terrible books about Aleister Crowley, and was reading the most recent biography while on vacation in the 1980s, and it was just atrocious. I thought to myself, “I could do better than this!” And so began my journey of several thousand miles.
Who are some writers whose work you admire?
Dan Simmons is an amazing writer, especially since he garners awards across multiple genres, from science fiction, to horror, to historical fiction. He’s not tied to any single genre, and that’s quite inspiring.  My only problem is that he writes so well that, as a writer, I find it distracting because I’m constantly stopping to admire his sentence structure, or the way he introduced a plot element, or how he explains things to the reader without explaining things.
In the area of occultism, I admire the works of Lon Milo DuQuette. He has a gift for taking extremely complex subjects like the kabbalah or the tarot, and making them lucid, interesting, and funny for a general audience. What a gift.
When did you think about becoming a writer? Was there someone who got you interested in writing?
I have no idea where it came from, but I was pretty much born wanting to be a writer. In elementary school, I was always winning awards and creative writing contests. I wrote my first novel in second or third grade, it was a time travel adventure with dinosaurs and all the other things you’d expect from a seven year-old. And I haven’t stopped writing since.
Is there any particular story to tell concerning the writing of this book?
I did research for three weeks at the University of London in January of 1990. One day, I decided to take a walk up the road to King’s College, maybe a mile away, to look at another manuscript collection. I was surprised by strong gusts of wind that nearly blew me back, rattled street signs, and the like. This was my first time in the UK, so I figured this was just London’s famous blustery, rainy weather. I even said something nonchalant to a passerby like, “A little bit windy today, eh?” By the time I got to King’s College, I found that the power was out all over, and there I was walking through the middle of a hurricane! Seriously. It was quite a bad one, I remember the news reporting that ninety-three people had died, that the roof had been torn off a school, the whole downtown area was without power.
What is the one thing that you want readers to take away from your book?
Love him or hate him, Aleister Crowley was bigger than life. The places he went, the people he knew, the things he did: It’s amazing that anyone could do all those things in a single lifetime!
What are you working on next?
I’m working on a history of 19th century secret societies, and how the ideas that they espoused cross-pollinated and influenced modern-day groups like the Rosicrucians, Golden Dawn, and Ordo Templi Orientis.
What single thing might people be surprised to learn about you?
Does anything surprise people these days? After writing the biography of someone who was called “The Wickedest Man in the World,” everything else seems tame by comparsion!
What book is on your nightstand now?
I’m a voracious reader. On my nightstand you’ll find the latest issue of Keyboard magazine alongside Hanegraff & Kripal’s Hidden Intercourse: Eros and Sexuality in the History of Western Esotericism; Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book next to J. Daniel Gunther’s Initiation in the Aeon of the Child; a manual for Pro Tools next to Balk’s Saints and Sinners: An Account of Western Civilization; and a copy of Alan Moore’s The Watchmen alongside Lapinkivi’s The Sumerian Sacred Marriage.
Check out this clip of the author talking about Aleister Crowley in the documentary Aleister Crowley: The Beast 666, directed by Donna Zuckerbrot for Vision TV’s program Enigma.
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